Duties and
Responsibilities: In
China as well as France, the first people to perform dentistry were barbers.
They have been categorized into 2 distinct groups: guild of barbers and lay
barbers. The first group, the Guild of Barbers, was created to distinguish more
educated and qualified dental surgeons from lay barbers. Guild barbers were
trained to do complex surgeries. The second group, the lay barbers, was
qualified to perform regular hygienic services such as shaving and tooth
extraction as well as basic surgery. However, in 1400 France made decrees
prohibiting lay barbers from practicing all types of surgery. In Germany as
well as France from 1530 to 1575 publications completely devoted to dentistry
were being published. Ambrose Pare, often known as the Father of Surgery,
published his own work about the proper maintenance and treatment of teeth. Ambrose
Pare was a French barber surgeon who performed dental care for multiple French
monarchs. He is often credited with having raised the status of barber
surgeons.
Salary:
$77,639 - $233,639
Education:
All dentists in the U.S. must
graduate from high school and complete required courses such as general
biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, and
statistics/calculus. While nearly all dental schools require at least a
bachelor's degree (4 years of college coursework), a select few may consider
admitting exceptional students after only 3 years of college, although this is
very rare. To apply, students must take the Dental Admissions Test (DAT). It is
recommended by the American Dental Association that students take the DAT a
year before admission.[8] Admission to dental school is competitive, and is
generally determined based on factors such as GPA, DAT scores, research,
recommendation letters, and extracurricular activities. To become a licensed
dentist, one must then complete an accredited dental school curriculum and
successfully master all clinical competencies and national board exams. Most
dental school curricula require four years of training, however, some states
require dentists to complete a post graduate residency program as well (e.g.
New York). In the U.S., a newly graduated dentist is then awarded the DDS,
Doctor of Dental Surgery, degree or the DMD, Doctor of Dental Medicine, degree
depending on the dental school attended. The degrees are equivalent. A newly
graduated dentist can then pursue further specialty residency training ranging
from 2 to 6 years in one of the recognized specialties. Additionally, dentists
are required to participate in continuing education where they attend lectures
to learn of recent developments, practice new methods, and earn continuing
education hours throughout their career.
I really
don’t think I want to become a dentist
